Abies Alba 02
See textFirs (Abies) are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous
trees in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and
Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in
mountains over most of the range. Firs are most closely related to the
genus
CedrusCedrus (cedar). Douglas firs are not true firs, being of the
genus Pseudotsuga.
They are large trees, reaching heights of 10–80 m
(33–262 ft) tall with trunk diameters of 0.5–4 m
(1 ft 8 in–13 ft 1 in) when mature
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Abies Alba
Abies alba, the European silver fir or silver fir,[3] is a fir native
to the mountains of Europe, from the
PyreneesPyrenees north to Normandy, east
to the
AlpsAlps and the Carpathians, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Montenegro,
SerbiaSerbia and south to Italy,
BulgariaBulgaria and
northern Greece.[1]Silver fir trunk and bark of a tree in Vallombrosa State Forest
(Italy)Illustration of several parts of the Abies albaImmature cone of Abies albaSeedlings of Abies albaContents1 Description
2 Ecology
3 Chemistry and pharmacology
4 Uses
5 Etymology
6 See also
7 References
8 External linksDescription[edit]
Abies albaAbies alba is a large evergreen coniferous tree growing to
40–50 m (130–160 ft) (exceptionally 60 m
(200 ft)) tall and with a trunk diameter up to 1.5 m
(4 ft 11 in)
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EuropeEuropeEurope is a continent located entirely in the
Northern HemisphereNorthern Hemisphere and
mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the
ArcticArctic Ocean
to the north, the
Atlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean
Sea to the south. It comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia.
Since around 1850,
EuropeEurope is most commonly considered as separated
from
AsiaAsia by the watershed divides of the Ural and
CaucasusCaucasus Mountains,
the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways of the
Turkish Straits.[5] Though the term "continent" implies physical
geography, the land border is somewhat arbitrary and has moved since
its first conception in classical antiquity
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North Africa
North
AfricaAfrica is a collective term for a group of Mediterranean
countries situated in the northern-most region of the African
continent. The term "North Africa" has no single accepted definition.
It is sometimes defined as stretching from the
AtlanticAtlantic shores of
MoroccoMorocco in the west, to the
Suez CanalSuez Canal and the
Red SeaRed Sea in the east.
Others have limited it to the countries of Algeria, Morocco, and
Tunisia, a region known by the French during colonial times as
“Afrique du Nord” and by the
ArabsArabs as the
MaghrebMaghreb (“West”).
The most commonly accepted definition includes Algeria, Morocco, and
Tunisia, as well as
LibyaLibya and Egypt
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Cedrus
See text
CedrusCedrus (common English name cedar) is a genus of coniferous trees in
the plant family
PinaceaePinaceae (subfamily Abietoideae). They are native to
the mountains of the western
HimalayasHimalayas and the Mediterranean region,
occurring at altitudes of 1,500–3,200 m in the
HimalayasHimalayas and
1,000–2,200 m in the Mediterranean.[1]Contents1 Description
2 Taxonomy2.1 Species and subspecies3 Ecology
4 Uses
5 Etymology
6 See also
7 References
8 External linksDescription[edit]Foliage of Atlas cedar
CedrusCedrus trees can grow up to 30–40 m (occasionally 60 m)
tall with spicy-resinous scented wood, thick ridged or square-cracked
bark, and broad, level branches. The shoots are dimorphic, with long
shoots, which form the framework of the branches, and short shoots,
which carry most of the leaves
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Douglas FirPseudotsugaPseudotsuga menziesii, commonly known as Douglas fir, Douglas-fir and
OregonOregon pine, is an evergreen conifer species native to western North
America. One variety, the coast Douglas fir, grows along the Pacific
Ocean from central
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia south to central California. A
second variety, the Rocky Mountain Douglas fir, grows in the Rocky
Mountains from
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia south to Mexico. The tree is dominant
in western Washington and Oregon. It is extensively used for timber,
worldwide.Contents1 Naming
2 Description
3 Distribution
4 Ecology
5 Uses
6 See also
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External linksNaming[edit]
The common name honors David Douglas, a Scottish botanist and
collector who first reported the extraordinary nature and potential of
the species
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Pseudotsuga
See text
PseudotsugaPseudotsuga /ˌsjuːdoʊˈtsuːɡə/[1] is a genus of evergreen
coniferous trees in the family
PinaceaePinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae).
Common names include Douglas fir, Douglas-fir, Douglas tree, and
OregonOregon pine.
Pseudotsuga menziesiiPseudotsuga menziesii is widespread in western North
America and is an important source of timber. The number of species
has long been debated, but two in western
North AmericaNorth America and two to
four in eastern
AsiaAsia are commonly acknowledged.[2][3]
Nineteenth-century botanists had problems in classifying Douglas-firs,
due to the species' similarity to various other conifers better known
at the time; they have at times been classified in Pinus, Picea,
Abies, Tsuga, and even Sequoia
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Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant and is the principal lateral
appendage of the stem.[1] The leaves and stem together form the
shoot.[2] Leaves are collectively referred to as foliage, as in
"autumn foliage".[3][4]Diagram of a simple leaf.Apex
Midvein (Primary vein)
Secondary vein.
Lamina.
LeafLeaf margin
Petiole
Bud
StemAlthough leaves can be seen in many different shapes, sizes and
textures, typically a leaf is a thin, dorsiventrally flattened organ,
borne above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. In most leaves,
the primary photosynthetic tissue, the palisade mesophyll, is located
on the upper side of the blade or lamina of the leaf[1] but in some
species, including the mature foliage of Eucalyptus,[5] palisade
mesophyll is present on both sides and the leaves are said to be
isobilateral
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Conifer Cone
A cone (in formal botanical usage: strobilus, plural strobili) is an
organ on plants in the division
PinophytaPinophyta (conifers) that contains the
reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone,
which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are
usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity.
The name "cone" derives from the fact that the shape in some species
resembles a geometric cone. The individual plates of a cone are known
as scales.
The male cone (microstrobilus or pollen cone) is structurally similar
across all conifers, differing only in small ways (mostly in scale
arrangement) from species to species. Extending out from a central
axis are microsporophylls (modified leaves). Under each
microsporophyll is one or several microsporangia (pollen sacs).
The female cone (megastrobilus, seed cone, or ovulate cone) contains
ovules which, when fertilized by pollen, become seeds
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Wax
Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic,
malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher
alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about
40 °C (104 °F), melting to give low viscosity liquids.
Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar
solvents
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Tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or
trunk, supporting branches and leaves in most species. In some usages,
the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants
with secondary growth, plants that are usable as lumber or plants
above a specified height. Trees are not a taxonomic group but include
a variety of plant species that have independently evolved a woody
trunk and branches as a way to tower above other plants to compete for
sunlight. Trees tend to be long-lived, some reaching several thousand
years old. In looser definitions, the taller palms, tree ferns,
bananas and bamboos are also trees. Trees have been in existence for
370 million years. It is estimated that there are just over 3 trillion
mature trees in the world.[1]
A tree typically has many secondary branches supported clear of the
ground by the trunk
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Stoma
In botany, a stoma (plural "stomata"), also called a stomate (plural
"stomates")[1] (from Greek στόμα, "mouth"[2]), is a pore, found
in the epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that facilitates
gas exchange. The pore is bordered by a pair of specialized parenchyma
cells known as guard cells that are responsible for regulating the
size of the stomatal opening.
The term is usually used collectively to refer to the entire stomatal
complex, consisting of the paired guard cells and the pore itself,
which is referred to as the stomatal aperture.[3] Air enters the plant
through these openings by gaseous diffusion, and contains carbon
dioxide and oxygen, which are used in photosynthesis and respiration,
respectively.
OxygenOxygen produced as a by-product of photosynthesis
diffuses out to the atmosphere through these same openings
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